Fine gold saving machine



Oct. 3, 1939. G. B. Mcm-:EVER

.l FINE GOLD SAVING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet l mlm ml. y Wv rw nmm um, No um. C. Y mc m Oct. 3, 1939. G. B. MCKEEVER FINE GOLD sAvNG MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 3, 1939.

G. B.` MCKEEVER FINE GOLD SAVING MACHINE Filed ug.l 25, 19.36

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 /sff/A mm Y ATTORNEYS Oct. 3, 1939. G. B. MCKEEVER l FINE GOLD SAVING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 25, 1935 .,W w W. 0 @7m vm/ rnm ma. m W A 1,.

Patented Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My present invention relates to the general art of concentrators as relates to placer mining, and the like, and more particularly to a fine gold saving machine.

One of the perplexing problems that has always confronted miners is the recovery of une gold of the type often referred to as our gold. In this form gold is easily carried by water and particularly so by dirty Water, as is encountered in placer mining. The reason for this tendency is that as the gold particles become very small their ratio of exposed surface to their weight becomes very high; consequently concentrators, sluice boxes, and other recovery devices that operate on the premise that heavy material always sinks, do not normally collect the very fine gold. This has been proved in almost every placer gold producing field. It has often been found that by carefully working over the tailings of early operations a large percentage of gold still remains in the ground. Many attempts have been made to produce equipment for the recovery of this fine gold but those observed have been characterized by their initial high cost and high cost of opera- 25 tion with no surety of complete recovery of the flour gold. In my present machine I have provided equipment which is light in weight, can be easily transported, and so simple in its structure that even those of limited means can secure and operate it.

The success of operation resides in the peculiar construction of my machine which causes the gold bearing water to pass through woven material, preferably cocoa-matting, and to be thus well spread out in a shallow stream, so that there is nol great mass of water for the gold to settle down through. Normally, my present machine is intended to serve principally as a collector or concentrator, and as no amalgum is used coated particles of gold are saved with the same ease as clean gold.

It has been observed that moss overhanging a gold bearing stream acts as a fine gold collector; the small particles being arrested by contact with the moss fibres. In my machine I substitute cocoa-matting as a commercial equivalent of the moss and nd it serves in the same manner.

A further object of my present invention is to supply operating means for my equipment so arranged that a single source of power, driving a water pump at or near the waters edge, provides the entire motive energy required in my equipment. The water may be, of course, supplied under pressure to my machine by any suitable means, as for instance static head, and it not only operates the vibrating mechanism but is divided. to form several streams as it passes into my machine so as to assure the proper functioning during each stage of the separation.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, where- 1n Figure 1 is. a side elevation of my separator and rime.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view showing a modified construction of my rile that is normally best used where sand only is handled through the machine.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, vertical, sectional view through a typical riiile employed in my machine.

Figure 4 is a perspective View showing the agitator and separator of my device with the rocker screen removed, and with certain other parts broken away to better illustrate the construction.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the rocker screen used in my device.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the upper riilie of my device, the same being broken away to better illustrate the construction.

Figure 7 is a perspective View showing the lower cocoa-mat riilie used with my device, the same being shown partly broken away.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the transfer spout leading from the upper riflle to the lower flume.

Figure 9 is a vertical, sectional View through the agitator of my device showing the rocker screen and other parts in section.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view, showing in a vertical section, the upper and lower riiiles.

Figure 11 shows the extreme right hand end of Figure 10 together with a transfer spout and lower fiume.

Figure 12 is al View, similar in part to Figure l, but with the shaker, or agitator, mechanism substantially enlarged to better illustrate certain features of construction.

Figure 13 is a side elevation similar to Figure 12 with certain parts broken away to better illustrate their construction.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, I4 designates, in general, my agitating, or shaking, device. This consists of a suitable frame having a plurality of vertical posts as I6, Il, and I8 which are shown at their upper limits with suitable cross members which, in turn, support the upper water distributor 20. Pivotally secured to the upper end of upright I6, are the rocker links 2l and 22 which, in turn, are pivotally secured to the frame of rocker screen 24. This frame work supports a screen 25, preferably made of metal, and is in turn supported at its rear, or lower, end by roller hangers 26 and 21. The rollers of these hangers are guided by the two side members of each hanger so as to bear on adjustable bearing members 23, the adjustment being provided so that the bearing surface may be maintained in a level or horizontal plane so that .no undue load will be placed upon the shaking mechanism, for scr-een 25.

Suitable baffles as 30 and 3| are provided above screen 25 so that the gravel will be more evenly distributed thereon and will come .directly under` water projected from holes 32 in the water distributor 20.

The shaking or vibration is providedby the connecting rod 34 which engages crank 35. This crank is suitably connected as by the reduction gear means 36 and 31, to a water driven impeller 38.

Water for the operation of my device is supplied by the supply pipe or hose 40. This may be furnished from .any suitable source of water under pressure as for instance a hydrostatic head, or from a motor, engine, or driven pump. As the water supply is led up to the machine it is first brought under control by Valve 4| which is capable of diverting all, or a portion, of the same directly out onto the ground or, at the will of the operator, pass all, or any portion, of the water desired up through pipe 42 into the machine proper.

The water ypassing up pipe 42 is divided rst into a stream to feed the impeller nozzle, or jet, 43. This water when used in driving the impeller is fed down through the return pipe lllinto the lower trays 45 where it serves to wash downwardly any sand, fine gold, or other material passing upwardly through hose 41 into the upper water distributor 20. Here the water enters an enlarged chamber having a reduced opening, or jet, i8 at its lower' end. This serves to restrict the water flow and to provide a uniform dis'- charge throughout the various holes 32. This water so discharged through holes 32 serves to wash the gravel, or sand, as it is thrown into the machine onto ballies 30 and 3! and continues to wash the same asV it lies on screen 25. AThe remainder of the water is discharged from jet 48 and washes the coarser material which is passe on over screen 25 into the upper riies 55. Y j

Disposed below in a position to receive the discharge from tray 45 is the lower riiiie 52. This rile is so placed. as to receive the line material which is passed through screen 25 into tray 45 and then, due to the action of water passing through pipe 44, is washed down onto the cocoamatting screen 53 which extends substantially the full length of the lower riille. Under certain conditions this lower riiile may be modiiied after the showings of Figure 2 in which the rile is expanded transversely so as to give a wider stream. This is particularly desirable where clean sand is being run through the'machine. Here it is found desirable to have a -plurality of guides or deflecting baffles 54 so as to distribute the material substantially evenly over the cocoa-matting. This matting is supported by a plurality of closely spaced rods 55 extending from one side to the other of the lower riffle box. It is held in place by an equal number of smaller rods 56 disposed alternately with rods 55, parl draws the gold bearing water through. .arrangement keeps the gold wet thus destroying 'l' The coarser gold and ticularly after the showing of Figure l0. The spacing of these rods should be such that there will be no no tendency for the cocoa-matting to sag under the weight of material dumped on it, and to be, further, so arranged that it will be suspended above the bottom 51 of box 52 so that a shallow stream of water, part of that discharged out of box 45, can pass entirely through the cocoa-matting and out underneath the same where it will be discharged into the lower flume 50.

Method of operation In operating my fine gold saving machine the gold bearing gravel, sand, or pulp, is deposited by any convenient means into the hopper formed by baiile boards 3B and 3| so that it comes under the action of water jets from holes 32. I-Iere the material is washed and the finer material is thus washed through screen 25 into the lower tray 45. The coarser material, due to the longitudinal vibration, or shaking, of screen 25, by action of crank 3.5, passes the heavier materials, gravel, large pieces of rock and the like on into the upper riiile box 5d, where a plurality of arresting riiles, 52, of the usual construction are provided.

The sand, fine materials, and particularly the ilour gold, or iloat gold as it is sometimes termed, is washed out of tray 45 onto th-e top of the cocoa-matting 53 of rifile 52. Here the sand and water pass over the matting in a sha1- low stream with a small portion of the water i'lltering through the matting leaving the fine gold in it. The space under the matting is sealed so that the moving water creates a suction that This molecular cohesion that normally tends to iioat the gold, just as a needle will float on water. Sand partially lls the space in the matting adding to the suction below the matting.

This action brings about the condition similar to moss or grass roots in water which is known toarrest the movement of ne gold in streams.

The action of the cocoa-matting is believed to be a very important one as the water carrying the line gold passes through the upstanding bres of the matting, or it actually comes through it into very intimate contact with the libre material, which has the faculty of retaining the tiny flakes of gold while permitting the water, due to the draft sucton, or molecular cohesion, to be drawn through the matting and be discharged. Y

coarser concentrates which accumulate in riilie 62 may be handled in any of the ordinary ways well known to users of this type of equipment. The ne gold caught on the matting 53 is removed normally by washing the same in a tray or bath, however, after the matting material has been in use for some time it is desirable then to burn the matting in a metal tray and recover the fine gold from it.

The foregoing description and the accompanyingdrawings are believed to clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claim.

I claim:

A hydraulic mineral separator having a stream of water under pressure, a reciprocable shaker screen, a hopper above the screen, a sluice-way under the screen, a riille adjoining said sluiceway, a water motor operably connected with said screen to reciprocate the same, means for conveying the stream under pressure to said motor, a conduit diverting the portion of said stream passing through said motor to Wash over said sluice-Way, a conduit conveying the other portion of said stream to a perforated distributing tank over said hopper and adapted to spray Water over the hopper, and a nozzle on the free end of said latter conduit to direct the remaining stream of Water over said rle.

GEORGE B. MCKEEVER. 

